Tarık Çelenk wrote: Our local and national psychotherapy problem

Once upon a time in our country, seeing a psychologist and seeking counseling was considered a shortcoming or something to be ashamed of. When I resigned from the Turkish Armed Forces and transitioned to civilian life, I received two years of therapy to cope with my anxieties, which manifested themselves physically and emotionally in various ways. This psychiatrist, a teacher from a popular and conservative tradition, who later became my friend, possessed an interdisciplinary approach. He not only allowed me to confront my inner world but also provided me with a perspective that fostered intellectual depth.

During this period, I also had the opportunity to meet, network, and collaborate with respected therapists and analysts both domestically and internationally, including Vamık Volkan. Interestingly, five years later, when the court suspended my dismissal from a senior position at a public institution, the General Manager cited my having received counseling from a psychotherapist six years prior as the reason.

When I told a friend of mine who wanted to get into politics, “You should first get counseling from a psychotherapist,” he replied, “You’re right, but definitely not; the voters will attribute weakness to me.”

Today, seeking psychotherapy or analytic counseling is no longer perceived as a deficiency or a source of shame in society; it's more often seen as a pursuit of perfection or career counseling. Years ago, I steered my daughter toward psychology instead of law school. Several of my friends' children followed suit. At one point, I even considered pursuing my own analysis after receiving five or seven years of consulting from an accredited international school of analysis.

Today, the number of those qualified to provide therapy and analysis, or simply psychological counseling, is rapidly rising in Turkey due to growing demand. The prestige and income levels of this segment are significantly higher than those of the average white-collar worker. This could certainly be considered positive, provided that the number of these professionals also increases, along with their ability to provide healing and the incomes of their clients.

However, we have to ask some questions about this process in a theoretical and social context.

In the modern age, when humans lose their metaphysical dimension and are separated from their natural state, it's inevitable that they will experience separation anxiety. As psychology entered our lives with modernity, these questions have always lingered:

• Is the psychoanalytic method pioneered by Freud and Jung or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which became popular after the 1980s, more effective?
• Which defines humanity more holistically: religious esotericism or psychoanalysis?
• How is the concept of “soul” positioned between religious and scientifically based psychological disciplines?
• Can a similarity be established between the journey of purification/maturation in Sufism and some methods of psychology?

Another fundamental question: In Sufism, a perfected shaykh must have completed his spiritual journey and be a mature example. However, most therapists are still in the process of resolving their own maturity issues. To what extent can a therapist who hasn't overcome his own internal problems solve his client's problems with purely theoretical knowledge?

The concepts of what Freud calls the id and what Sufism calls the "nefs-i ammara " (commanding soul) are common expressions of a balance centered on pleasure and pain. However, above the id lies the ego and superego, or the inspired self in Sufism, and beyond that lies the conscience, which positivist dogma struggles to grasp, and the soul, the "source of vitality."

At this point, we should not forget the metaphysical depth that Jung added to psychoanalysis.

In practice, many Sufis have found healing through consulting a psychoanalyst or therapist, rather than a sheikh, for anxiety or deep-seated concerns. Conversely, some clients who have been unable to resolve their chronic problems have found peace by becoming a follower of a mature sheikh.

The Islamic world has so far fallen short of developing a comprehensive model. In the post-Jungian era, the West has produced new theses between psychotherapy and metaphysical dimensions.

In our country, as in the rest of the world, becoming a psychotherapist is a career path that can be completed in a shorter time, has more diverse training paths, and has a wider field of application compared to becoming a psychoanalyst.

While becoming a psychoanalyst requires intellectual and spiritual training, psychotherapy is viewed more as a practical specialization. Psychoanalysis stands out for its philosophical depth, cultural impact, and potential for personal discovery. Psychotherapy, on the other hand, contributes more directly to public health with its solution-focused approach and broad accessibility.

In our country, which hasn't yet fully surpassed its peasantry, examples of law schools and the rapid training of teachers demonstrate this situation. Universities are crucial as places for socialization. However, Anatolian students who graduate from programs lacking depth or requiring no attendance, and who are intelligent but have limited social experience, can assume significant public responsibilities. This situation is called "hidden peasantry."

Some lawyers or psychological counselors who lack versatile experience and interdisciplinary training can cause serious problems in the field.

In this context, the fact that the field of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in Türkiye has acquired a “lumpen character” or has moved away from seriousness and depth is based not only on professional but also on cultural, institutional and epistemological reasons.

1. Lack of institutional control and regulatory uncertainty
2. The failure of the psychoanalytic tradition to institutionalize
3. Fast consumer culture and the proliferation of “Instagram therapy”
4. Marketing the spiritual emptiness of the middle class
5. Neglect of the theological and philosophical background
6. Failure to establish a connection with the Sufi tradition

The field of psychotherapy in Türkiye has largely broken with the Sufi tradition and has largely shifted towards an approach that excludes metaphysics. Consequently, methods that promise "shortcut" results are emphasized over profound inner transformation.

Many seemingly modern therapists remain mentally traditional, unable to escape their "hidden peasantry." It is debatable how healthy the cognitive transference of those who fail to mature or transform themselves can be. This situation both tarnishes the profession's reputation and limits its capacity for transformation.

A field of psychotherapy that nourishes its theoretical depth, reconnects with its cultural roots, and addresses the shortcomings of an interdisciplinary approach can open the door to a deep-rooted, sustainable, and genuine spiritual maturation at the individual and societal levels.